The hepatitis C virus burden
- Globally, an estimated 58 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, with about 1.5 million new infections occurring per year. 75% of these cases occur within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
- Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of people with hepatitis C infection, but access to diagnosis and treatment is low in LMICs.
- The highest burden of disease is in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and European Region, with 12 million people chronically infected in each region.
- In the South-East Asia Region and the Western Pacific Region, an estimated 10 million people in each region are chronically infected.
- Nine million people are chronically infected in the African Region and 5 million in the Region of the Americas.
Source: World Health Organization: Hepatitis C
LONGEVITY and hepatitis C
Oral drugs for hepatitis C require an extensive regimen that can be difficult to maintain. Replacing these with a single long-acting injection would cure patients of the hepatitis C virus at the point of diagnosis.
Hepatitis C virus can be cured by taking three daily tablets for eight weeks, amounting to 168 tablets for a full course. A single-injection cure will provide rapid therapy and eliminate issues around pill burden and complex delivery modes.
Our highly accessible and simple to administer curative treatment could contribute massively to the target set by The World Health Organisation for global elimination of this virus by 2030.
